The second Norway Chess tournament was held in the seaside town of Stavanger earlier this month. As in the first edition, the ten-player event was extremely strong, with the top four ranked players in the world competing and the only participant outside the world top 20 being Norwegian veteran GM Simen Agdestein.
Naturally favourite was World Champion Magnus Carlsen playing in his home country. Despite winning the pre-tournament blitz event, Carlsen was unable to get going. The event was extremely close, with only a point separating first and last place until the penultimate round. It was last year's winner Sergey Karjakin of Russia, who in a finishing streak of three wins broke the pattern and assumed sole lead going into the final round, half a point ahead of Carlsen and early leader Fabiano Caruana of Italy.
Today's game is Karjakin's final round win with the black pieces over Caruana that sealed first place. It demonstrates the resilience he showed throughout to win games from poor positions. Another example is today's puzzle, taken from the Giri-Karjarkin marathon of 131 moves in round 7.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nc7 7.a3 g6 8.h4 h6
The Symmetrical English Opening – Four Knights variation has a quiet reputation, but the players have to stay alert. Here 8... Bg7?! 9. h5 give White an attack down the h-file, so Black prepares ...g6-g5 to keep the file closed. The slight weakening of the kingside makes Black reluctant to castle early. 9.d3 Bg7 10.O-O Bd7 11.Be3 Ne6 12.Rb1
Preparing the thematic b2-b4 thrust that commonly forms White's plan in this opening. 12... Rc8 13.Ne4 b6 14.b4 cxb4 15.axb4 Ncd4 16.Bxd4! Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.e3 Bg7 19.b5!
The exchange of pieces followed by this pawn wedge freezes the Black pawn majority on the queenside, more than making up for Black's two bishops. 19... O-O 20.d4 Rc7 21.f4!
Cementing in the dark-squared bishop, though a drawback is the weakening of his pawn structure. White establishes a bind with the intention of gradually overwhelming Black on the queenside. 21... Qc8 22.Rb2 Rd8 23.Kh2 Be6 24.Rff2 Bf5 25.Rbc2 a5!
Establishing a passed pawn on the queenside at the cost of weakening b6. The exchange 26. bxa6?! Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Qxa6 would let Black off the hook. 26.Qc1 Rxc2 27.Rxc2 Qb8 28.Rc6 Bd7 29.Nc3! e6!
Acceptance of the exchange sacrifice would lose after 29... Bxc6? 30. bxc6 and the threat of advancing the pawn forces the immediate return sacrifice 30... Rc8 31. Nb5 Rc7. But White simply builds a pawn avalanche 32. Qc4! Bf6 (32... e6 33. d5! exd5 34. Bxd5 is worse) 33. d5 Qd8 34. e4 etc. 30.Rc4 Bf8 31.Bc6 Qd6 32.Na4?
White throws away the advantage by misplacing the knight. Instead 32.e4! Bg7 33. e5 Qe7 34. Ne4 penetrating with the knight into d6 would keep White on top. 32... Bxc6! 33.Rxc6
The otherwise desirable 33. bxc6? runs into 33... b5! 34. c7 bxc4 35. cxd8=Q Qxd8 36. Qxc4 Qa8 and Black's passed a-pawn gives him the advantage much as in the game. 33... Qb4! 34.Nc3
Neither 34. Nxb6 Qxb5 with a passed a-pawn, nor 34.Qc4? Qd2+ winning the e-pawn weakened by 21 f4 save White. The text leaves the White pieces awkwardly placed on the c-file, allowing the a-pawn to suddenly become a monster! 34... a4! 35.Qc2 a3 36.Rxb6 Rc8 37.Rc6 Rxc6 38.bxc6 Qc4
Maintaining the pin on the knight and regaining the c-pawn. The ending is now winning for Black. 39.c7 Qxc7 40.Qb3 Qa5 41.Qc2 Qb4
Threatening 42... Qb2. 42.Na4 Qe1 43.Nc5!?
Trying for complications, which Black accurately defends. If 43. e4 Qe3 44. d5 exd5 45. exd5 Qd4 46. Nc3 Qc4 and the threat of 47... Bb4 wins. 44... Qxe3 44.Nd7 Qxd4 45.Qc8 Qb4 46.Nf6+ Kg7 47.Ne8+ Kh8 48.Qc7 Qe7 49.Qe5+ f6 50.Nxf6 Bg7 51.Qb8+ Qf8 White resigns
0-1
Solution: 131... Bc3! cutting off the rook from the defence. White resigned as mate in a few moves by 132... Qe4+ etc. can only be delayed by sacrificing all his pieces.
Karjakin repeats Norwegian success
Problem: Black to play and mate.
The second Norway Chess tournament was held in the seaside town of Stavanger earlier this month. As in the first edition, the ten-player event was extremely strong, with the top four ranked players in the world competing and the only participant outside the world top 20 being Norwegian veteran GM Simen Agdestein.
Naturally favourite was World Champion Magnus Carlsen playing in his home country. Despite winning the pre-tournament blitz event, Carlsen was unable to get going. The event was extremely close, with only a point separating first and last place until the penultimate round. It was last year's winner Sergey Karjakin of Russia, who in a finishing streak of three wins broke the pattern and assumed sole lead going into the final round, half a point ahead of Carlsen and early leader Fabiano Caruana of Italy.
Today's game is Karjakin's final round win with the black pieces over Caruana that sealed first place. It demonstrates the resilience he showed throughout to win games from poor positions. Another example is today's puzzle, taken from the Giri-Karjarkin marathon of 131 moves in round 7.
1.Nf3 Nf6
2.c4 c5
3.Nc3 Nc6
4.g3 d5
5.cxd5 Nxd5
6.Bg2 Nc7
7.a3 g6
8.h4 h6
The Symmetrical English Opening – Four Knights variation has a quiet reputation, but the players have to stay alert. Here 8... Bg7?! 9. h5 give White an attack down the h-file, so Black prepares ...g6-g5 to keep the file closed. The slight weakening of the kingside makes Black reluctant to castle early.
9.d3 Bg7
10.O-O Bd7
11.Be3 Ne6
12.Rb1
Preparing the thematic b2-b4 thrust that commonly forms White's plan in this opening.
12... Rc8
13.Ne4 b6
14.b4 cxb4
15.axb4 Ncd4
16.Bxd4! Nxd4
17.Nxd4 Bxd4
18.e3 Bg7
19.b5!
The exchange of pieces followed by this pawn wedge freezes the Black pawn majority on the queenside, more than making up for Black's two bishops.
19... O-O
20.d4 Rc7
21.f4!
Cementing in the dark-squared bishop, though a drawback is the weakening of his pawn structure. White establishes a bind with the intention of gradually overwhelming Black on the queenside.
21... Qc8
22.Rb2 Rd8
23.Kh2 Be6
24.Rff2 Bf5
25.Rbc2 a5!
Establishing a passed pawn on the queenside at the cost of weakening b6. The exchange 26. bxa6?! Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Qxa6 would let Black off the hook.
26.Qc1 Rxc2
27.Rxc2 Qb8
28.Rc6 Bd7
29.Nc3! e6!
Acceptance of the exchange sacrifice would lose after 29... Bxc6? 30. bxc6 and the threat of advancing the pawn forces the immediate return sacrifice 30... Rc8 31. Nb5 Rc7. But White simply builds a pawn avalanche 32. Qc4! Bf6 (32... e6 33. d5! exd5 34. Bxd5 is worse) 33. d5 Qd8 34. e4 etc.
30.Rc4 Bf8
31.Bc6 Qd6
32.Na4?
White throws away the advantage by misplacing the knight. Instead 32.e4! Bg7 33. e5 Qe7 34. Ne4 penetrating with the knight into d6 would keep White on top.
32... Bxc6!
33.Rxc6
The otherwise desirable 33. bxc6? runs into 33... b5! 34. c7 bxc4 35. cxd8=Q Qxd8 36. Qxc4 Qa8 and Black's passed a-pawn gives him the advantage much as in the game.
33... Qb4!
34.Nc3
Neither 34. Nxb6 Qxb5 with a passed a-pawn, nor 34.Qc4? Qd2+ winning the e-pawn weakened by 21 f4 save White. The text leaves the White pieces awkwardly placed on the c-file, allowing the a-pawn to suddenly become a monster!
34... a4!
35.Qc2 a3
36.Rxb6 Rc8
37.Rc6 Rxc6
38.bxc6 Qc4
Maintaining the pin on the knight and regaining the c-pawn. The ending is now winning for Black.
39.c7 Qxc7
40.Qb3 Qa5
41.Qc2 Qb4
Threatening 42... Qb2.
42.Na4 Qe1
43.Nc5!?
Trying for complications, which Black accurately defends. If 43. e4 Qe3 44. d5 exd5 45. exd5 Qd4 46. Nc3 Qc4 and the threat of 47... Bb4 wins.
44... Qxe3
44.Nd7 Qxd4
45.Qc8 Qb4
46.Nf6+ Kg7
47.Ne8+ Kh8
48.Qc7 Qe7
49.Qe5+ f6
50.Nxf6 Bg7
51.Qb8+ Qf8
White resigns
0-1
Solution: 131... Bc3! cutting off the rook from the defence. White resigned as mate in a few moves by 132... Qe4+ etc. can only be delayed by sacrificing all his pieces.